"What do you mean that we don't know where the cambion is?" The table shook as I smashed my fist on it, my rage getting the best of me. "This is my mate that is in danger. Failing to locate her and Markolf is unacceptable," I growled menacingly at Tom. " I want our best trackers out there- explore every possible lead. We have to find them."

"Yes, Alpha." Tom nodded and bowled down before he left the room.

Shit!

I placed my palms on the desk and threw everything off it. As if that was going to help us find Riley! Yet, as pointless as it was, it helped me to at least let my frustration out. I felt fucking helpless sitting in the packhouse while Riley was out there with that sicko.

I looked up, and I saw my mother's portrait, her eyes staring right at me while I dwelled on my despair. The image before me was a constant reminder that I could not give up. Failure was not an option. I was no longer some lost, scared teenager. I was a man. A warrior. The Alpha. And Riley was my mate, the one that I would die for over and over again just to make sure that she was safe.

"No luck?" The only man who could understand my pain spoke as he entered my office.

I let go of the breath that I didn't even realise that I was holding. Then again, ever since she disappeared with the cambion and that fucking warlock, I felt like the air had been stolen from me. Even the simplest, most natural things like breathing were difficult without her.

"What the fuck are we doing, Aiden? She is out there with him and we have no clue where they are." The dark stubble on my face felt rough, prickling my palm as I ran my hand over my cheeks and my chin. "How can we rescue her from that half-demon if we can't even find them?"

My best friend crashed in the seat in front of my desk. He was usually the positive, optimistic one from the two of us, always having something reassuring to say. Yet, right now, despondency was all I could see written across his face.

"I...I don't know, Rafe."

I grabbed the bottle of whisky that was sitting on the top of my desk and took two tumblers out of the cabinet, pouring us both generous amounts of the amber liquid. Coolness spread across my lower lip when it came in contact with the cold glass. The woody aroma- oak in particular- invaded my senses as I tipped the tumbler to take a sip. The familiar smokey flavour tickled my taste buds as the alcohol entered my mouth but the enjoyment was just not there. Normally it relaxed me but, at this moment, I was just numb to any feeling other than anger and despair.

"Any news on Cyrus' whereabouts?"

"No. No one from the clan had seen him since yesterday."

"Fuck," I hissed. "Another dead end."

Without meaning to, I found myself downing my drink and was just seconds away from smashing the glass in the wall when my office line rang.

"Alpha, Alpha Moreau is here to see you with two warlocks."

"Send them in."

Aiden nodded in understanding while I spoke, as we both knew who Lucien was accompanied by.

The Blackwood Alpha was just as anxious as we were to find Riley but while Aiden and I used our clan and pack connections to get information on the cambion's whereabouts, Lucien reached out to Riley's parents and they went looking for information amongst the witches and warlocks. The Boswells recognised the warlock that was supporting Markolf as soon as we provided them with a description even if they themselves had stayed away from their own kind ever since they adopted Riley.

"Lucien," I greeted the other wolf shifter. My lips curled up into a weak smile when I turned to Riley's parents. "Mr and Mrs Boswell, I am sorry that we meet again in such grim circumstances."

"You are our daughter's mate, Alpha Macalister. You and Mr Hayes," her father spoke as they looked at me, then Aiden, and back. "Our daughter cares deeply about you two. So much that there was no way that we could persuade her not to meet with Markolf. We trust that you will do whatever is necessary to save her." Victor Boswell squeezed my hand as he shook it, narrowing his eyes at me.

"I'm sorry, dear," Riley's mum pipped in. "My husband is just worried, as we all are. Please, call us Victor and Seraphine. Both of you." She smiled encouragingly at Aiden and me.

"Of course, Seraphine."

"I don't want to interrupt but we better cut the pleasantries short- I didn't just find my sister to lose her again to a madman." The pain in Lucien's voice echoed the agony that everyone in the room felt.

"Did you find anything, Lucien?" Aiden's body tensed as we both waited for Lucien's answer, holding onto the hope that they had more success than we did. We desperately needed a lead, even the tiniest one, to start from somewhere.

I saw the Blackwood Alpha relax a bit, which hopefully meant good news. "We did, actually. The warlock you saw with Markolf- Caleb- it seems like he had made quite a name for himself as a warlock for hire in the past year."

Seraphine took hold of her husband's hand while he wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her shoulder gently. Their love and support for one another were undoubted and I was happy that my mate grew up with such loving, caring parents- something that I had never experienced, given the father I had and, even more so, since I lost my mother. I knew that Aiden had also not lucked out with his parents who also lacked these qualities.

There was one thing that my father did teach me though and that was how not to be a parent. I never thought about having kids but if it was to happen one day, I was sure as hell that my children would have all the love and appreciation from their parents that I never benefited from.

"Victor and I still have enough good contacts amongst our kind to find out that Caleb has been procuring a lot of ingredients and materials needed for powerful spells, spells that often would require the blood of a demon or half-demon to work," Seraphine added before she let her husband continue.

"We believe that aside from creating potions for subduing shifters, he is probably assisting Markolf with whatever he plans to do with shifters' animals. The spirits have plenty of magic and Caleb is likely to be amplifying the magic with his warlock abilities. I suspect that he has probably also put a cloaking and protection invocation wherever Markolf is. This is why we cannot locate him."

Fuck! I was counting on a lead so badly. "How is that good news?" I grunted exasperated.

Lucien, on the other hand, grinned widely, which confused me. What did he know that we didn't?

"Well, this is where you two idiots come into use," the other Alpha added.

I saw Aiden's eyebrows furrow and I was relieved that I was not the only one who seemed to have no clue what was going on. His eyes darted from Riley's brother to her parents until he finally spoke. "What do you mean, Lucien?"

It was Riley's mum that stepped in to clarify things. "Allow me to explain. My husband and I always knew that our little girl is special- ever since we laid eyes on her the day we met her. But what we didn't know is how unique the three of you are as a triad. You have a bond that transcends kinds. A bond destined to fight Markolf. A bond that withstands magic."

"I am sorry, Seraphine, but I am afraid that I still do not understand what you mean." Aiden shook his head.

"The three of you together are powerful, Aiden. And your connection can help us break through Caleb's magic so that we can locate Riley and Markolf."

Seriously? They only mention this now?

"Why the hell didn't you all start with that when you arrived?" I exclaimed annoyed. "We are losing precious time. What do we need to do?"

Lucien rolled out a massive map of the UK on my desk, inviting us all to gather around it.

I saw Victor pull out a knife which put me at an edge as my wolf instincts kicked into force but I had to reign myself in as I could not afford to jump into conclusions with Riley's dad. He turned the knife around and offered it to me.

"We need a mix of your and Aiden's blood, and something of Riley's." As he spoke, I saw him dangle a small necklace with "Aurelie" written on it. "The blood and our daughter's necklace will then allow us to do a location spell that will be powered by the strength of your connection."

I barely let him finish- I grabbed the knife from him and brought it to my palm. The sharp blade sliced my flesh, blood dripping from my hand onto the necklace that Victor was holding. My best friend was just as impatient to do the same when he got hold of the knife.

I watched as our blood mixed, painting the necklace red.

"Fata viam invenient. In fate we find a way," Seraphine and Victor chanted over and over again, each time a little louder than before, until the necklace broke free from Victor's grip and dropped on the desk, landing at a spot on the map.

We finally have it!

I held my breath as I stared at the map. I still couldn't believe that we actually had my mate's location now- I was worried that if I blinked, I was going to wake up and find out that it was just a fragment of my imagination. Yet, the pain inside me told me that Riley's absence was very much real.

I grabbed the phone on my desk and quickly dialled the number I needed. "Tom, call Alpha Wilson and Alpha Andrews in for an urgent Council meeting at our packhouse. Tell them that they need to get here immediately."

Everyone else in the room stood in silence, gazes fixed on the bloody stain that now covered our destination.

"Bardsey Island it is then," I said, my thoughts drifting to my mate.

We are coming, Riley- just a little longer, mate.